(F) luxury goods: a conference in Milan to talk about menstruation

A special conference is being held in Milan today 12 February. For the first time, in fact, we will talk openly and, above all, officially about the menstrual cycle. The meeting, of a public nature, will take place from 6 pm at Palazzo Marino, in the Sala Alessi to be precise.

“Female empowerment. Let's start with menstruation ”. This is the title as well as the main focus of the conference, born with the aim of starting a constructive debate that is free from any taboo. In fact, one cannot think of enhancing the figure of women by studying policies that improve their living conditions, if the menstruation issue is ignored. It should be remembered, for those who had removed it, that, every year, 800 million women bleed for 4/5 days a month. Therefore, nothing as strange and esoteric as it is often treated and perceived. From the 22% VAT on sanitary towels, the same applied to luxury goods, to the false myths that hover around the subject, it becomes increasingly difficult for women to deal with the subject and the problems connected to it.

What are the opinions of Italians about it?

To better understand the perception that men and women have of menstruation, the AstraRicerche National Institute and Essity, a Swedish multinational company specializing in hygiene and health, conducted an all-Italian survey on the menstrual cycle. The results of the 1633 interviews with men and women between the ages of 15 and 65, we learn that the female gender associates menstruation with a sensation of swelling, pelvic pain, physical fatigue and a change in mood. Furthermore, for 27.4% of respondents, the menstrual cycle is a source of immense discomfort and embarrassment, without considering that 5.1% attribute the expression "disgusting" to it. On the contrary, however, 12.3% grasp the purifying aspect of the phenomenon and 15.1% are convinced that menstruation is a symptom of sensuality and femininity.

Regarding the reluctance that hovers around the topic, 67% of respondents are aware that the origin of superstitions lies in the refusal to treat the topic openly. In this regard, it is mostly men who believe in false myths. For example, 18% of them say they believe women are less productive at work during menstruation.

The interviews also focus on menstrual leave and, while both genders agree that a country, to be considered civil in all respects, must allow its employees not to work when they are ill, on the other hand women fear that this could worsen employment discrimination against them.

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A project to speak openly about a physiological phenomenon

It is in this context that, then, Diana de Marchi, president of the Commission for Equal Opportunities and Civil Rights of the Municipality of Milan, decided to organize the event, advocated with the following words: "We speak freely about menstruation so that it becomes normal for women and men, because research shows that, despite the menstrual cycle being natural and physiological, it is still not normal to talk about it ".

With all our support for the cause, we just have to hope that this is the right opportunity to normalize, once and for all, the issue and clear any kind of prejudice in this regard.